Steam-engine exhaust and draft device



L. A. BLUBAUGH & W. 0. SIMPSON.

Patented Mar. @1897.

STEAM ENGINE EXHAUST AND DRAFT DEVICE.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEEGORA A. BLUBAUGII AND WILLIAM CLARK SIMPSON, OF REDLANDS, CALIFORNIA.

STEAM-ENGINE EXHAUST AND DRAFT DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 578,688, dated March 9,1897.

Application filed June 18, 1894. Renewed December 17, 1895. gerial No. 572,46 '7- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, LEEGORA A. BLU- BAUGH and WILLIAM CLARK SrMPsoN, citizens of the United States, residing at Redlands, in the county of San Bernardino and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam-Engine Exhaust and Draft Devices, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention is applicable to all classes of steam-engines, but is specially valuable for use in locomotives or other engines having short stacks and in which force draft is required.

An object of our invention is to so construct and arrange the exhaust appliance of a locomotive as to cause the exhaust sent through the smoke-stack to completely remove from the top of the smoke-box all the back or downward pressure of air through the smoke-stack, and to do this without producing any back pressure upon the piston. To accomplish this object, our invention comprises, in combination with a smoke-stack and a centrally-arranged conical steam jet spreadin g valveplug and an exhaust stand-pipe, a dischargemouth on the stand-pipe, the inner wall of which discharge-mouth flares from the inner Wall of the stand-pipe at an angle corresponding to that of the inverted cone of the valveplug and arranged wholly below the smokestack,so that an extension of the flaring mouth would contact with the lower end of the inside of the wall of the smoke-stack, the internal diameter of said flaring mouth being less at the bottom and greater at the top than the greatest diameter of the conical plug, so that the steam passing out at the end of the exhaust-pipe will be directed and allowed to expand outward and upward to contact with the lower end of the inside of the Wall of the smoke-stack and also to expand inward and upward above the plug, thus to completely fill the smoke-stack with an upWardly-movin g body of steam of practically the same density throughout, which will lift the column of air in the smoke-stack and expel it from the smoke-stack at each exhaust, thereby completely relieving the top of the interior of the smoke-boxfrom any downward pressure of air from the sm oke-stack during the exhaust, and

also avoid any cross-firing of the steam as it issues from the exhaust-pipe, but allowing the steam to expand freely to completely fill the stack with a practically uniform body of upwardly-escaping steam. We propose to allow the utmost freedom of expansion of the steam in the smoke-stack and to avoid any obstruction in the stack or in the upward path of the steam, thus to allow the air-ejecting force of the exhaust to be perfectly free and uniform throughout the cross-section of the stack,thus giving a stronger, though a more uniform and less violent, draft through the fire-box. This we accomplish by our invention.

One object of our invention is to provide a superior draft-regulator by means of which the draft can be accurately adjusted to the desired force without producing any back pressure and regardless of the amount of steam being used.

Another object of our invention is to provide for more ready clearance of the exhaust and atthe same time provide for production of the proper draft, thus economizing fuel where a force draft is required by preventing back pressure of the steam.

Another object is to so arrange the exhaust appliances that sparks will not be thrown out 'at the top of locomotive or other short stacks.

Another object is to provide a practically noiseless exhaust and yet retain the force draft.

Another object is to reduce the strain on the engine and thus increase its life, power, and speed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate our invention.

Figure 1 is a fragmental perspective view, partly in section, showing our invention as applied to a locomotive. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our appliance, showing fragments of the engine attached and a portion indicated in dotted lines. Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmental sectional view of the lower part of our device.

Our invention comprises the combination, witha steam-engine A, of an exhaust standpipe B, having a flaring discharge-mouth b and having an exhaust capacity larger than the exhaust-port O of the cut-ofi valve of the engine and arranged opening from the stacker-box D and having its flaring discharge-mouth I) located close to but below the bottom of the smoke-stack, and a movable valve E, arranged to reciprocate in the flaring mouth of the stand-pipe to increase and decrease theopening therein and to spread the exhaust and throw it outward against the walls of the smoke-stack F, and means for reciprocatin g the valve.

It comprises, in combination with a smokestack and a centrally-arranged inverted conical steam-j e't-spread in g valve-plu g E and an exhaust stand-pipe B, a discharge-mouth b on the stand-pipe, flaring at an angle corresponding to that of the inverted cone of the valve-plug and arrangedso that the upward extension of its flaring walls will contact with the inside of the lower portion of the walls of the stack. By means of this month flaringat the same angle as the inverted cone of the conical valve we are enabled to produce the required velocity of steam blast and yet avoid all back pressure and all cross-fire of steam at the bottom of the stack, and the annular jet is smooth and thus capable of producing a more perfect exhaust in the stack and to thus cause a more perfect draft of air through the fire-box. The flaring annular outlet formed between the flaring walls of the mouth and the inverted cone of the movable valveplug can be diminished by moving the valveplug down, but this does not interfere with the outward expansion of the steam as it issues from the stand-pipe, and it produces no cross-fire of steam.

Our invention also comprises the combination of a tubular valve E and valve-stem 6, having the tube thereof arranged opening from the stacker-box up through the valveE into the smoke-stack, so that a jet of steam may be injected centrally into the smokestack, if desired, but our invention comprises the combination of parts whether the valve E and valve-stem e are tubular or solid.

G indicates means for operating the valve. It is to be understood that in case of a locomotive such means are suitably connected to be operated from within the cab, such as the rod G and lever G shown in Fig. 2.

In the drawings the opening from the tubular valve and the valve-stem is closed by a screw-plug e, and by removingthe plug the steam is allowed to pass through the center of the valve-stem and valve. 7 The tubular valve-stem eis perforated at its lower end within the stacker-box to admit steam from the stacker-box and passes down through a stuffing-box H, and an angle-lever G, rod G, and operating-lever G" are arranged to reciprocate the valve-stem and valve.

The valve-plug E is conical on top as well as on the bot-tom, thus to allow the steam to freely expand upward and inward. The walls of the flaring mouth extend outward beyond the diameter of the valve-plug sufficiently far to prevent any detrimental downward expansion of the steam which might retard used.

the draft, so that while the steam is. allowed to escape freely its force is all exerted upward with as great freedom 'as possible but without violence.

In practice when the engine is in operation the valve is adjusted by the engineer by means of the lever G and quadrant g or other suitable means to give an annular opening round about the valve, through which the steam will discharge with sufficient force to produce the draft required with the least back pressure upon the engine. The steam escapes from the mouth of the stand-pipe B in a funnel-shaped jet and strikes against the inner walls of the smoke-stack, and also expan ding inward fills the stack above the valve-plug. The jet thus has a very great surface for expelling the air, completely extending across all the open space at the bottom of the stack, whereby the air is blown upward out of the stack, creating a more complete vacuum, so that the draft is greatly increased over that which would be produced by the escape of the same amount of steam by the ordinary appliances. It is to be observed that the valve-stem is so arranged that it does not interfere with the free discharge of steam through the stand-pipe from the stacker-box. By these means we are able to produce a superior draft force, and we are also enabled to reduce the velocity of the escaped steam below what the velocity would have to be to produce the same velocity of draft with old appliances, and because of this there is less variation of pressure of the exhaust-steam, so that the jet of escaping steam is more even in its operation, and the fuel in the fire-box is not subjected to the sudden changes of draft which occur where the old .appliances are For this reason the draft produced by our improved device does not stir and turn the fuel to the extent that is done where the draft is less even and regular, and therefore the cinders are not drawn from the fire-box into the smoke-arch to the extent that they are by old appliances. Those which are drawn into the smoke-arch are allowed to fall more readily, for the reason that the same efficiency of draft does not reach the high velocity of the old draft at the moment of exhaust.

We have found in actual practice that we are able by our device to produce the draft and perform the work with only eighty pounds of steam which with the old appliances require one hundred and twenty pounds pressure to perform it, and we also found that with one hundred pounds pressure we could maintain the draft and perform the work which with the old appliances requires one hundred and forty poundspressure. Vv e also found a saving of coal equal to about four hundred pounds for each ton required to produce the same result with the old appliances.

When there is danger of frightening teams, or where the noise of the exhaust of the en'- gine is otherwise objectionable, the valve can be thrown up so as to allow the opening at the mouth of the stand-pipe to be of the full capacity of the stand-pipe, and the exhaust is thereby muffled so as to avoid this objection.

By reducing the back pressure on the piston the strain upon the engine is materially reduced and the life of the engine therefore increased.

Means may be devised for operating the valve E from the top of the stack without departing from the spirit of our invention.

Now, having described our invention, What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a steam-engine the combination of a tubular valve and valve-stem having the top thereof arranged opening from the stackerbox up through the valve into the smokestack, such valve being arranged to reciprocate to increase or decrease the size of the exhaust-passage, and suitable means for reciprocating such valve. 7

2. In a steam-engine, the combination Wit a smoke-stack and a stacker-box of a conical steam-jet-spreading valve-plug centrally arranged with relation to the smoke-stack; an exhaust stand-pipe extending from the stacker-boX; a discharge-mouth on the stand-pipe, the inner wall of which discharge-mouth flares from the inner wall of the stand-pipe at an angle corresponding to that of the inverted cone of the valve-plug and arranged wholly below the smoke-stack so that an extension of the flaring mouth would contact with the lower end of the inside of the wall of the smoke-stack, the internal diameter of said flaring mouth being less at the bottom and greater at the top than the greatest diameter of the conical plug; a valve-stem carrying said valve-plu g and extending therefrom through the stand-pipe into the stackerboX; a guide for such valve-stem; a lever connected With the valve-stem to reciprocate the same vertically; and means for operating the lever.

LEEGORA A. BLUBAUGH. YVILLIAM CLARK SIMPSON. \Vitnesses: OHAs. E. TRUEsDELL,

WILLIAM LEHR. 

